Application of carbon balance to submerged citric acid production by Aspergillus niger

Summary In an air-lift fermenter, the following production was obtained from 125 g sucrose in mineral medium at pH 2.5 : 15.76 g mycelium dry wt, 107.2 g citric acid anhydrous and 0.594 mol CO₂ within 138 h (run I) and 13.72 g mycelium dry wt, 114.28 g citric acid and 0.516 mol CO₂ within 144 h (run II). Initially, the carbon content of consumed sugar and products did not balance. At the end of fermentation, the carbon content of the products was 0.9%–5.5% higher than that of the consumed sugar. For the purpose of the calculations the carbon content in mycelium was accepted as 0.462.The work was a part of Project No 04.11 CPBP, topic No 2.24     

The effect of acetate on the production of citric acid by Aspergillus niger in submerged fermentation

Summary Two strains of Aspergillus niger showed a 57% and 40% reduction in growth in a shaken mineral medium with 5% glucose, at the initial pH 6.5–6.0 where ammonium acetate (0.25% and 0.2%) was a source of nitrogen. Uptake of glucose was not inhibited and mycelium kept its acid-forming activity. Growth inhibition was abolished in the presence of 12% glucose or increased content of ammonium and sodium acetate up to 765 mg acetate anion per 100 cm³.This work was a part of Project MR II, 17, topic no. 2.3.2.     

Influence of manganese on morphology and cell wall composition of Aspergillus niger during citric acid fermentation

Morphology and cell wall composition of Aspergillus niger were studied under conditions of manganese sufficient or deficient cultivation in an otherwise citric acid producing medium. Omission of Mn²⁺ (less than 10^-7 M) from the nutrient medium of Aspergillus niger results in abnormal morphological development which is characterized by increased spore swelling, and squat, bulbeous hyphae. Fractionation and analysis of manganese deficient cell walls revealed increased chitin and reduced -glucan contents as well as reduction of galactose containing polymers, as compared to cell walls from manganese sufficient grown hyphae. Addition of copper induced the same effect as manganese deficiency, both on morphology and cell wall composition. Addition of cycloheximide also produced a very similar type of morphology with increased chitin and reduced -glucan contents of the cell wall but its effect on galactose was less pronounced.Dedicated to emer. Prof. Dr. J. Kisser on the occasion of his 80th birthday     

Semi-pilot scale studies on citric acid fermentation by a gamma-ray induced mutant of Aspergillus niger

Summary Semi-pilot scale production of citric acid was investigated with a gamma-ray induced mutant (HB3) of Aspergillus niger using 500, 1000 and 1500 ml medium in 51 fermentation jars. Yield of citric acid was found to be seven-fold higher compared to the parent in 1000 ml medium and the corresponding increase was two-fold in the 500 ml medium. With 1500 ml/fermentation jar the yield was low with both the parent and the mutant strain though the mutant gave higher yield compared to the parent.     

Application of kaolin to improve citric acid production by a thermophilic Aspergillus niger

Citric acid production by a thermophilic strain of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger IIB-6 in a medium containing blackstrap cane molasses was improved by the addition of kaolin to the fermentation medium. The fermentation was run in a 7.5-l stirred bioreactor (60% working volume). The optimal sugar concentration was found to be 150 g/l. Kaolin (1.0 ml) was added to the fermentation medium to enhance volumetric production. The best results in terms of product formation were observed when 15 parts per million (ppm) kaolin was added 24 h after inoculation. With added kaolin, citric acid production was enhanced 2.34-fold, compared to a control fermentation without added kaolin. The length of incubation to attain this product yield was shortened from 168 to 96 h. The comparison of kinetic parameters showed improved citrate synthase activity of the culture (Y (p/x)=7.046 g/g). When the culture grown at various kaolin concentrations was monitored for Q (p), Q (s), and q (p), there was significant improvement in these variables over the control. Specific production by the culture (q (p)=0.073 g/g cells/h) was improved several fold. The addition of kaolin substantially improved the enthalpy (DeltaH (D)=74.5 kJ/mol) and entropy of activation (DeltaS=-174 J/mol/K) for citric acid production, free energies for transition state formation, and substrate binding for sucrose hydrolysis. The performance of fuzzy logic control of the bioreactor was found to be very promising for an improvement ( approximately 4.2-fold) in the production of citric acid (96.88 g/l), which is of value in commercial applications.     

Coffee husk: an inexpensive substrate for production of citric acid by Aspergillus niger in a solid-state fermentation system

Aspergillus niger CFTRI 30 produced 1.3 g citric acid/10 g dry coffee husk in 72 h solid-state fermentation when the substrate was moistened with 0.075 M NaOH solution. Production was increased by 17% by adding a mixture of iron, copper and zinc to the medium but enrichment of the moist solid medium with (NH₄)₂SO₄, sucrose or any of four enzymes did not improve production. The production of about 1.5 g citric acid/10 g dry coffee husk at a conversion of 82% (based on sugar consumed) under standardized conditions demonstrates the commercial potential of using the husk in this way.The authors are with the Department of Microbiology and Bioengineering, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore-570 013, India;     

Changes in development and ultrastructure of Aspergillus niger mycelium in the presence of toxic substances from molasses in citric acid fermentation medium.

Effects of a surface-active agent (Spumol BJ) and toxic molasses compounds on development and ultrastructure of Aspergillus niger strain R-16 mycelium producing citric acid in surface fermentation on molasses medium with 80% yield are presented. Microscopic observations showed that Spumol BJ in concentration of 5 microliters/100 cm3 as well as toxic molasses compounds stimulated the process of swelling and germinating of conidia. Giant conidia unable to germinate, appeared along with typical ones. Delicate mycelium outgrowing from germinating conidia however, sank after 20-24 h culture. Observations of hyphae in electron microscope showed changes in the ultrastructure and dimensions of mitochondria followed by successive degeneration of protoplast. The data obtained indicate that one of the reasons disqualifying raw molasses for biotechnological processes might be the excessive amount of surface-active antifoaming additives.     

A proposed biochemical mechanism for citric acid accumulation by Aspergillus niger Yang No. 2 growing in solid state fermentation

Aspergillus niger Yang No. 2 and its mutant strain SL1 were grown in solid state fermentation. Samples were taken after 2, 4 and 6 days of incubation and the mycelia were analysed for their intracellular concentrations of some organic acids and adenylates and the activities of selected enzymes. Strain Yang No. 2 contained high concentrations of citrate with very little oxalate, while strain SL1 contained lower concentrations of citrate but considerably higher concentrations of oxalate. As the fermentation proceeded, strain Yang No. 2 showed a much higher ratio of ATP:AMP than did strain SL1. In addition, the enzyme ATP:citrate lyase became undetectable during citrate accumulation in strain Yang No. 2, while its activity remained high during oxalate accumulation in strain SL1. It is proposed that citrate accumulation by strain Yang No. 2 during solid state fermentation is due to blockage of its metabolism in the mitochondrion via inhibition of isocitrate dehydrogenase by the high ATP:AMP ratio, and in the cytosol by repression of ATP:citrate lyase activity.     

Oil and air dispersion in a simulated fermentation broth as a function of mycelial morphology

The culture conditions of a multiphase fermentation involving morphologically complex mycelia were simulated in order to investigate the influence of mycelial morphology (Trichoderma harzianum) on castor oil and air dispersion. Measurements of oil drops and air bubbles were obtained using an image analysis system coupled to a mixing tank. Complex interactions of the phases involved could be clearly observed. The Sauter diameter and the size distributions of drops and bubbles were affected by the morphological type of biomass (pellets or dispersed mycelia) added to the system. Larger oil drop sizes were obtained with dispersed mycelia than with pellets, as a result of the high apparent viscosity of the broth, which caused a drop in the power drawn, reducing oil drop break-up. Unexpectedly, bubble sizes observed with dispersed mycelia were smaller than with pellets, a phenomenon which can be explained by the segregation occurring at high biomass concentrations with the dispersed mycelia. Very complex oil drops were produced, containing air bubbles and a high number of structures likely consisting of small water droplets. Bubble location was influenced by biomass morphology. The percentage (in volume) of oil-trapped bubbles increased (from 32 to 80%) as dispersed mycelia concentration increased. A practically constant (32%) percentage of oil-trapped bubbles was observed with pelleted morphology at all biomass concentrations. The results evidenced the high complexity of phases interactions and the importance of mycelial morphology in such processes.     

Sudden substrate dilution induces a higher rate of citric acid production by Aspergillus niger.

On the basis of the present knowledge of Aspergillus niger metabolism during citric acid fermentation, an idea on how to improve the process was formed. Initially, a higher sucrose concentration was used for the germination of spores, which caused a higher intracellular level of the osmoregulator, glycerol, to be present. When citric acid started to be excreted into the medium, the substrate was suddenly diluted. Optimization of this procedure resulted in a nearly tripled volumetric rate (grams per liter per hour) of acid production, while the overall fermentation time was halved compared with the usual batch process. Yet, a characteristic delay was observed at the start of the acid excretion after the dilution. Hypo-osmotic shock caused a prominent elevation of intracellular cyclic AMP levels. Simultaneously, the specific activity of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase increased significantly, probably due to phosphorylation of the protein molecule by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Specific 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase activity was much higher in the treated than in the normally growing mycelium. The metabolic flow through glycolysis was expected to be higher, which should contribute to a higher volumetric rate of acid production.     

Optimisation of fermentation conditions for gluconic acid production by a mutant of Aspergillus niger

Aspergillus niger ORS-4, isolated from the sugarcane industry waste materials was found to produce notable level of gluconic acid. From this strain, a mutant Aspergillus niger ORS-4.410 having remarkable increase in gluconic acid production was isolated and compared for fermentation properties. Among the various substrates used, glucose resulted into maximum production of gluconic acid (78.04 g/L). 12% concentration led to maximum production. Effect of spore age and inoculum level on fermentation indicated an inoculum level of 2% of the 4-7 days old spores were best suited for gluconic acid production. Maximum gluconate production could be achieved after 10-12 days of the fermentation at 30 degrees C and at a pH of 5.5. Kinetic analysis of production indicated that growth of the mutant was favoured during initial stages of the fermentation (4-8 days) and production increased during the subsequent 8-12 days of the fermentation. CaCO3 and varying concentrations of different nutrients affected the production of gluconic acid. Analysis of variance for the factors evaluated the significant difference in the production levels.     

Continuous production of citric acid from sugarcane molasses using a combination of submerged immobilized and surface stabilized cultures of Aspergillus niger KCU 520

Summary A high performance fermentation process for the continuous production of citric acid from sugarcane molasses by using the combination of submerged calcium alginate-immobilized and surface-stabilized cultures of Aspergillus niger KCU 520 in a continuous flow horizontal bioreactor is described. The citric acid productivity was dependent on the dilution rate with an optimum value of 0.015/h. Presaturation of fermentation medium with sterile air, in addition to surface aeration, before feeding into the bioreactor enhanced the citric acid productivity. The highest productivity, citric acid product concentration and yield obtained were 1.7 kg M^–3h^–1, 110kg M^–3 and 91% respectively. The cultures were continuously used for 30 days without any apparent loss in citric acid productivity.     

Influence of calcium on fungal growth and citric acid production during fermentation of a sugarcane molasses-based medium by a strain of Aspergillus niger

The effect of CaCl₂ on the growth, morphology and citric acid production from sugarcane molasses by Aspergillus niger 419 was studied. The addition of 0.5g CaCl₂/l to the fermentation medium induced a loose pelleted form of growth, reduced the biomass concentration and increased the volumetric productivity (g citric acid/h) and the specific production (g citric acid/g biomass dw) from 0.02 and 0.37 to 0.13 and 3.72, respectively.     

Influence of dissolved oxygen concentration on intracellular pH for regulation of Aspergillus niger growth rate during citric acid fermentation in a stirred tank bioreactor

In this paper we report the regulation of Aspergillus niger growth rate during citric acid fermentation in a stirred tank bioreactor. For this, the influence of dissolved oxygen concentration in a medium on intracellular pH values and consequently on overall microbial metabolism was emphasized. Intracellular pH of mycelium grown under different concentrations of dissolved oxygen in the medium was determined. Sensitivity of proteins toward proton concentration is well recognized, therefore pH influences on the activities of key regulatory enzymes of Aspergillus niger were determined at pH values similar to those detected in the cells grown under lower dissolved oxygen concentrations. The results have shown significantly reduced specific activities of hexokinase, 6-phosphofructokinase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in more acidic environment, while pyruvate kinase was found to be relatively insensitive towards higher proton concentration. As expected, due to the reduced specific activities of regulatory enzymes under more acidic conditions, overall metabolism should be hindered in the medium with lower dissolved oxygen concentration which was confirmed by detecting the reduced specific growth rates. From the studies, we conclude that dissolved oxygen concentration affects the intracellular pH and thus growth rate of Aspergillus niger during the fermentation process.